While I was chanting a curse, the system said I was Xiao Yan?

The news spread quickly within the Zen monastery.

Before Tianyan had even reached his own courtyard, his heroic act of "taking the punishment for someone else, getting covered in blood but not uttering a sound" had already been told three times by his clansmen.

But when it reached the ears of higher-ups, the meaning was completely different.

"absurd!"

Zen Temple Fan put down his teacup, his face ashen, and said coldly, "Your spell power has already declined to level four. Instead of thinking about restoring your strength, you went to take the whippings of the servants in the Corpse-Worshipping Squad, and you even have the audacity to call it 'letting the punishment take root in people's hearts'?"

"That's a joke!"

"This is how the Zen temple and I have lost face!"

Sitting opposite him, Zenji Shinro remained expressionless, but his fingers tapped lightly twice on the table.

"Uncle Shan is right."

He spoke, his voice as flat as ever: "But Tianyan defeated Zhizai today, a level four sorcerer, who defeated a near-level one sorcerer."

Zen-in-sen's expression softened slightly upon hearing this, but he still remained gloomy.

He grabbed the katana and placed it horizontally on his lap, his fingers gently tracing the patterns on the scabbard, his face as cold and hard as a stone statue.

The head monk of the Zen temple, Jikki, remained silent.

He lay half-reclined on the tatami mat, a sake gourd hanging from his waist, his eyes half-open and half-closed, as if he were dozing off.

But his fingers kept tapping lightly on the gourd, at a steady, unhurried pace.

"interesting."

He mumbled something, so softly that only he could hear it.

For centuries, Zen temples have maintained this character: strength is paramount, the strong prey on the weak, and rules are harder than iron and colder than blood.

What Tianyan did today was considered heretical and beneath his dignity by the elders.

But from the perspective of the Jibi people...

He picked up the gourd and took a swig, a smile curving his lips.

A brat with only level four curse power defeated Naoya, who was close to level one, and then took fifty lashes for an ordinary team member.

They don't boast when they win, they don't utter a sound when they're in pain, and they even have to go through the whole process of "bearing thorns to apologize" later.

This mindset is more valuable than any technique.

"If we could really stir up some trouble in this stagnant pool..."

The Gibito hung the wine gourd back on his waist, closed his eyes, and spoke in a muffled voice, like a dream.

"Then my wine will taste even better."

......

When Tianyan returned to his courtyard, it was already dark.

He closed the door, leaned against it, let out a long breath, and then grimaced as he stretched his shoulders.

"Ouch! It really hurts."

He quickly ripped off his tattered shirt and turned to look at his back.

The wound is already scabbing over, which is more than twice as fast as normal.

"Self-healing power? Or the residual effects of that elixir?"

Tianyan muttered something, not delving into it, and instead took out the newly acquired reward from his pocket.

Foundation Building Elixir.

The bottle was larger than the one that contained the Qi-gathering powder before. It was pure white and felt slightly cool to the touch.

The bottle is transparent, allowing you to see a single drop of liquid inside, its surface shimmering with a very faint turquoise sheen.

"System, how do I use this thing?"

[Foundation Building Elixir, when dissolved in warm water, can accelerate the cultivation of battle qi.]

Tianyan blinked. The system indicated that it could accelerate cultivation, which was indeed a good thing!

"Dissolve it in warm water? Does that mean I have to soak my whole body in it?"

He glanced around his room, his gaze settling on the wooden bathtub in the corner.

"Alright."

Boiling water, emptying the bucket, and adding warm water—all done in one smooth motion.

Once the water temperature was adjusted to the appropriate level, Tianyan poured in a drop of Foundation Building Elixir.

The moment the emerald green liquid entered the water, the entire bucket of water changed color.

The originally clear hot water turned into a light blue color, with faint emerald green patterns flowing beneath the surface, emitting a refreshing medicinal fragrance.

It doesn't have that pungent smell of Chinese medicine, but rather a fragrance similar to grass after rain, which is invigorating.

Tianyan tentatively stuck his foot in.

The water temperature was just right, neither too hot nor too cold.

The moment the elixir touches the skin, there is a slight tingling sensation, like countless tiny needles gently pricking the skin, but it is not uncomfortable.

"good."

He gritted his teeth and sat down in the wooden tub.

"hiss--"

This hiss was completely different from the sound he made when he was whipped before.

That was pure, heartfelt comfort!

The milky white liquid covered his chest and soaked his entire back.

The wounds inflicted by the whip felt as if they were gently caressed by a tender hand the moment they came into contact with the spiritual liquid.

The burning pain quickly subsided, replaced by a cool sensation that penetrated deep into the bones.

Tianyan could clearly feel the medicinal power seeping into his body bit by bit through the wounds and pores on his skin.

It wasn't a forceful influx, but rather a slow and continuous process, like a stream seeping into sand.

"call......"

He let out a long breath, relaxed completely, and leaned against the side of the tub.

Close your eyes and let your consciousness sink into your body.

The vortex of magical energy in his dantian was slowly rotating, now larger than before, and its rotation speed was more stable.

On the outer edge of the cyclone, he could feel wisps of milky white energy gathering from his limbs and bones, swirling around the cyclone like a thin mist, and being slowly absorbed.

He raised his arm, and you could see extremely fine blue lines flowing on the surface of his skin, like ripples on the water, which disappeared after a few seconds.

But the feeling in my arm changed.

It's not that it's gotten heavier, nor lighter, but rather... more solid.

Like a piece of iron that has been repeatedly forged, its density increases little by little.

"If you soaked in this every day..."

Tianyan's eyes lit up.

His technique, [Bone Iron Hunt], relies on the physical body; no matter how hard the bones are, it's useless if the skin and flesh can't withstand it.

If he can increase his overall physical strength, his margin for error will be much higher!

"Oh, right."

He suddenly remembered something, raised his hand from the water, and a thought struck him.

The power of the spell surged towards the finger bones, and a tiny bone spur slowly formed at the tip of the index finger.

The bone was blackish-brown, with a sharp, needle-like tip that gleamed coldly in the candlelight.

Unlike before, the surface of the bone spur now has a very faint, glossy sheen, as if it had been soaked in something.

"The hardness seems..."

Tianyan pinched the bone spur with his other hand and bent it forcefully.

It's not broken.

He used to be able to break bone spurs of this thickness with just a little force.

But this one is clearly a step up in terms of resilience.

"Foundation Building Elixir can also strengthen bones?"

[The Foundation Building Elixir works on the foundation of the entire body, strengthening bones, muscles, fascia, and skin.]

Tianyan stared at the bone spur on his fingertip for three seconds.

Then he pulled the bone spur back in, and shrank even further into the barrel, leaving only his head sticking out.

He squinted his eyes comfortably, looking just like a tiger soaking in a hot spring.

Inside the wooden tub, the cyan spiritual liquid rippled slightly, and emerald green light patterns flowed slowly beneath the surface.

Moonlight streamed in through the window, illuminating Tianyan's face as it emerged from the water.

He closed his eyes, and his breathing gradually became steady and long.

The whip marks on his back were healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The energy vortex within the body is also absorbing energy and growing stronger!